Reggie Jackson goes off on Pistons’ poor defense

It’s fair to say the Detroit Pistons are not where they hoped to be at this point of the season, and the frustration is mounting.

After a 110-77 loss to the Utah Jazz Friday night, Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson had harsh words for the team’s defensive effort, warning of serious consequences if things didn’t shape up.

“It has to be fixed — or it’s going to be a long (expletive) season,” Jackson said, via Aaron McMann of MLive. “It’s been a season from hell so far. So it’s going to be a long-(expletive) season if we don’t find a way to fix it.”

The Pistons are allowing 111 points per game over their last 15 contests. Not surprisingly, they’re 4-11 over that span, and Jackson knows it’s unacceptable.

“We’ve got to defend,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to make somebody miss. I don’t know what it is. We’ll do it for about a total of a half in a game, whether it be the first (quarter), third (quarter), the middle of the first to the third.

“We’re just not playing together for 48, and it’s really coming back to bite us each and every night.”

Coach Stan Van Gundy knows this well, and even singled out one particular player for criticism. After winning 44 games last year, the Pistons were a popular sleeper pick for 2016-17, but their season is already in danger of fading into the abyss.